A surge in alternatives to established lenders for borrowers with less than perfect credit scores

Since credit standards toughened up post-Recession, borrowers are looking to entities like the U.S. unit of the Toronto-Dominion Bank to get their mortgages.

Bloomberg reports that many borrowers that have minor imperfections on their applications, such as a brief loss of employment or a temporary drop in a credit score, have mostly been turned away by lenders since the housing crash. But lately, at least 15 smaller firms are offering slightly riskier mortgages, sometimes at higher interest rates or requiring larger down payments.